跟上留学步伐

In our current time, technology continues to become more accessible. While high-tech is cool, keeping a travel journal is too!  我选择了 宝博体育 spring semester, so for Christmas I received many gifts related to studying abroad. One gift in particular was a travel journal. Mine is a leather, with an old-fashioned look (just what I wanted!), and it has kept up with my travels because I try to always take the time to write in it.

View from a window in my apartment, something to 拍一张照片并写下来.

Travel journals are a great way to unwind and document where you were and what you were thinking in a specific moment in time.  Even if you aren't big on writing, there are plenty of ways to utilize a journal. 在一家美味的餐厅吃饭? 把它写下来. Got a great deal while shopping? 把它写下来. Got stuck in the airport because you missed your flight? 把这个也写下来!

Write down what bars and restaurants you went to. Who knows, maybe you'll visit in a few years and go back to the same place! Write down who you went on a trip with--they might become lifelong friends! Use the journal as a scrapbook of sorts. I've glued in tickets, receipts, and even public transport tickets from various cities I've visited!

I always tried to write down my weekend travel adventures right after coming back, so it was still fresh on the mind.

Take photos for your own memories, not just to look good on social media.

I think that documenting your travel experiences is good for your mental health. 有时候如果出了问题, it's nice to look back and see all the successes you've had while being abroad.  Looking back on happier moments is a great thing to do whether you're in a bad mood or not! And then, write down something bad that happened and how you overcame it. When you're back at home, I'm sure (I hope) it'll be a funny story by then.

Write down the moments that Instagram doesn't see- like sprinting through an Italian train station!

While I personally love the idea of keeping a travel journal, technology and social media make it very easy to keep track of your experiences as well. Something that I also use are Instagram highlights. Making a highlight reel is another great tool when reminiscing on adventures. Another way to keep track in a more high-tech way would be through the use of compiling video clips of your experiences.

The travel journal should have the bloopers, while Instagram is the highlights.

Overall, documenting your adventures abroad is important. Not for the Instagram likes or Facebook comments, but for yourself. One day, looking back, I'm sure you'll be happy you did!

 

卡拉年代. is the Spring '18 MOJO 博客ger in 马德里, 西班牙. She is currently a Sophomore studying 公共关系, 市场营销 & 西班牙语 at University of Dayton.

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卡拉史蒂文斯 is the Spring 2018 东航 MOJO 博客ger in 马德里, 西班牙, and is currently studying at University of Dayton.